GAO Releases Report on Education for Students in Foster Care

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report, Education Could Help States Improve Educational Stability for Youth in Foster Care, finding that the Department of Education should do more to help states provide educational stability for students in foster care. Federal law requires states to ensure that students in foster care stay in their school of origin, unless doing so isn’t in their best interests.   State agency officials reported to the GAO that local staff turnover and the cost of transporting students to their original schools were among the challenges to providing stability. GAO recommended the Education Department develop an online clearinghouse for states to share information, such as past webinar recordings and links to other relevant resources.